With some 1.4 million passengers crossing its airport gates every year, Mykonos is the Mediterranean’s hottest, hippest holiday diva, rivaling the likes of Ibiza, St Barths and Saint Tropez in terms of glamour, beauty and fun.
Uber famous for its glamorous party scene -complete with crates of the finest bubbly- Mykonos is the (not at all humble) abode of the voguish glitterati. It even sports its very own, distinct look: Think Greek goddess meets boho-island chic. And you don’t even have to forego a day on the beach -or miss out a moment from the party- to go shopping in Mykonos: Open until the wee hours, the glorious shops in whitewashed Chora turn its labyrinth streets into an all day – all night playground for the world’s fashionistas.Once purposely built in a chaotic manner to deter and confuse pirates in the post Byzantine era, nowadays the main town’s maze like alleys concentrate the lion’s share of shopping in Mykonos. Getting lost in them no longer presents a danger; but is an essential part of the fun.
Charismatic, lavish, extravagant and for these traits, world famous, Mykonos showcases the best of what life has to offer. Superb, Michelin worthy even, food and drinks, included. Yet though the island sports a host of premium establishments with french, italian, sushi, and everything in between (indeed fusion in Mykonos is very much in vogue!); on the other hand it displays a peculiar lack of truly notable Greek gastronomic creations: The kind that are aligned with the times, though representative of the country’s remarkable culinary tradition; thoroughly mouthwatering and impossible to forget.
Opulent and sophisticated, Mykonos, the Aegean’s Grand Dame, offers the very best of what life has to give: A striking scenery, uber glamorous establishments and the white glove treatment in every aspect of your stay. But not all that shines is actually gold. The island’s rise to stardom has brought about a proliferation of watered down, unsavory even, imitations of the real deal. To save yourselves from disappointment; and to optimize your experience on the island of the winds here is why you should choose the Semeli luxury boutique hotel Mykonos as your base:
Tired of the grey skies and the cold bleak weather? Thank god, spring is now in the air. Why not get rid of these winter blues with a mini spring break at the Semeli luxury boutique hotel Mykonos? After all you’ve got a wealth of good reasons for visiting the island of the winds in the springtime.
Read on for why you should opt for a sneak holiday preview at the Semeli luxury boutique hotel Mykonos, at this time of the year.
You will (most likely) not go to Mykonos for peace and quiet. You will go to this world class Mecca of cosmopolitanism, to see and to be seen; to eat in gourmet restaurants like Thioni and Krama; to chill out at stylishly opulent hotels like the Semeli; shop designer clothes at 2:00 in the morning; sip champagne concoctions at Little Venice’s Semeli the Bar; rub shoulders with the glitterati at Bao’s; go clubbing until dawn at Toy Room and then continue to party on the beach.
The sun is shining bright in the cloudless, cerulean sky. The sea is glistening against the whitewashed, sugar cube houses of the iconic old town, with the blue domed churches and maze-like alleys dotted with multi colored bougainvillea. After feasting like an Emperor for breakfast, on a glorious afternoon, you decide to head for the beach. There are so many -more than 20 in fact- to choose from. All pristinely beautiful, with golden sand and crystal clear, turquoise waters.
Mykonians are a gregarious, kind hearted lot. Though they’ve been steadfastly receiving guests from all over the planet for more than six decades now, they are quite unaffected by globalization, whilst remaining very much true to their folks and traditions. Come Christmas and it’s time for the holiday festivities in Mykonos; so locals will be sharing their age old customs and homemade culinary delicacies with families, neighbors, friends and visitors.
It might be the quintessential cosmopolitan, bacchanalian party paradise for the elite and the glitterati; but -perhap at first glance, paradoxically- Mykonos is very much true to its age old customs and traditions. This is the result of the predominant in Greece, Christian Orthodox religion; which has throughout the centuries determinedly shaped also this island’s culture, ethos and identity. One of it’s most powerful manifestations is the plethora of churches and chapels gracing the dramatic Mykonian landscape. Some say that churches in Mykonos are as many as the number of the days in a year; yet fact is that they are more than 700 -actually one per local family.
During the halcyon hippie days of the 60’s, Mykonos was a pristine paradise that lured jet setters and artists in search of their own shelter in the middle of the Aegean: Long haired boys and girls with no shoes, traipsing the whitewashed alleys of Chora and dancing their worries away next to Elizabeth Taylor, Rita Hayworth or ‘sad princess’ Soraya; while no one raised an eyebrow.